55 Gallon Vs Two 29 Gallons?

HI everyone.

I have a bit of a debate. This summer, I’m doing a tank build. I was planning on a 55 gallon this summer. Now, I’m reconsidering. Which is a better choice, a 55 gallon or two 29 gallons?

I would be doing nano fish in the 55, but if I did two 29s, I’d do a betta sorority in one and nano fish in the other.

On the other hand, 2 29 gallons would cost more overall. Plus, my parents are worried about the weight of the 55 (I know that it will actually weigh more, but we can put one on each side of the house).

What should I do?

 

I like the 55 or 75 over my 29. The 29 is so deep it has a very poor foot print. The long 29 aren't so bad but again I like the 4' tanks. In a 55 you may be able to have both the bettas and nano fish, I do.

 

Here’s the tank (29):

 

Pets supplies plus has a dollar per gallon sale by the way and you can get it much cheaper there. I’m thinking about upgrading a 45 to a 55 and will sell you my 45 with a stand if you’re interested.

Based on the store you selected I’m within driving distance of you.

 

Pets supplies plus has a dollar per gallon sale by the way and you can get it much cheaper there. I’m thinking about upgrading a 45 to a 55 and will sell you my 45 with a stand if you’re interested.

Based on the store you selected I’m within driving distance of you.

I PMed you.

.

I like the 55 or 75 over my 29. The 29 is so deep it has a very poor foot print. The long 29 aren't so bad but again I like the 4' tanks. In a 55 you may be able to have both the bettas and nano fish, I do.

There are temp differences

 

Darn. I guess then to have both you would need to go with 2 tanks. I wanted to try my luck with bettas so I stocked around them. My mind fell out so I ended up with males and females together. Oops

 

If I had to do it over I would of got a 75 instead of a 55. You can do a lot more with the 6" depth on the 75.

 

The only thing with having a 75 is you wish you would of went with a 2 foot wide tank. Lol

If I had to do it over I would of got a 75 instead of a 55. You can do a lot more with the 6" depth on the 75.

 

Just for clarification, I don’t have any fish for them yet, these are just ideas

 

Do a lot of research about the fish you want including temperature and what region they like to swim in so you don’t overcrowd one part of the tank. I listened to bad advice from the pet store people and ended up having to get more tanks to house fish I got.

 

If I did two tanks, one would be just nano fish, so I’m ok there. The other would be a betta sorority with harlequins and a bottom feeder, maybe KhulI loaches. All good, but I haven’t worked out the numbers yet

 

I vote for two 55's.

 

Haha me too.

As usual.

So the 55 gallon build I was planning? It might turn into two 29 gallons.

This is in no way definite, but it is a 50/50 chance. My parents are concerned about the weight of the 55 gallon, so we might do 2 29s.

If we do this, I’d have one for nano fish, and one for a betta soroity.

Here’s my stocking plan for the 55 gallon nano tank, and I wasn’t hoping that y’all could help me downsize this:
1 BN pleco
1 Female betta/5 honey gourami (help me decide, or give other suggestions)
15 chilI rasboras
15 CPDs
15 Pygmy cories
5-10 Endlers
Shrimp
I’m flexible, but I want to keep Pygmy cories, and chilI rasboras. What are some numbers more suitable for a 29 gallon?

For the second, I want to do female bettas (how many?), a school (I love harlequin rasboras, but am open to others), and bottom feeders (I really like cories, and am open to loaches if cories won’t work. How many of each?

Thanks so much!

 

Hello again! What exactly is the concern about the weight? While certainly heavy I've had my 55 gallon on the second floor of my house for years without any problems.
If you do end up having to go with the two 29s though, you could do away with the CPDs, lower the chilis and pygmies down to 10 and have 5 endlers and still keep a betta (male or female) or honey gourami. Although honeys can be singly they are recommended in groups while I wouldn't suggest a male betta with male endlers and a female betta seems pointless if you're doing a sorority in another tank. Alternatively you could skip over the "centerpiece" fish and keep the CPDs and have a stock of:

29 gallon #1:
1 bristlenose
10 CPDs
10 ChilI Rasboras
5 endlers
10 pygmy corydoras
Shrimp

*A long-finned bristlenose, especially an albino one could make a pretty impressive "centerpiece" fish.

As for the second tank, in a betta sorority it is recommended to keep at least 4-5 females to disperse aggression and be ready to remove any especially aggressive females when necessary. As for tank mates it's better that they are less colorful and unobtrusive. Harlequin rasboras are on the top of the list for betta tank mates and most cories should work fine. You could do something like:

29 gallon #2:
6 female bettas
12 harlequin rasboras
6 aeneas cories (these are Albino Cories, but I have seen them sold in non-albino variety which I'd recommend)

If you decide on loaches though kuhlI loaches are the best choice in my opinion. You could get 6 to 8 of them instead of the cories and they should get on fine with the bettas.

 

Hello!
Thanks! What is a better choice for a centerpiece fish?
Could I add a few more females?

 

Take out the CPDs and you could have a pair or small group of sparkling gourami.

You possibly could add more females if you added less rasboras but I personally wouldn't recommend it. Betta sororities are a balance between having enough fish to disperse aggression and each fish having enough room to set up territories.

 

Could I do 7? I heard that odd numbers are better.

david1978

I mean besides the betta, honeys, and sparkling

 

7 sounds manageable.

What about peacock gudgeons?

 

to put weight into perspective think about it this way. A 55 gallon is going to weight 500-550 pounds which could be as few as 2 large people. Its what 5-7 in a 20 so in a 29 I would think 9-11 girls. IIf your doing a small school of fish and bottom dwellers I wouldn't go over 9 girls.

 

I actually kind of like the 2 29s idea, just because I can have different kinds of fish.

7 sounds manageable.

What about peacock gudgeons?

Those are really pretty. Are they peaceful? How many?

 

You can have a pair or small group although due to space limitations I'd just do a pair. They're really peaceful.

 

Would just one work or do they prefer company?

 

I think they prefer either a pair or group.

 

Ok thanks!

 

My mom said no go for loaches, so would peppered or dainty cories work?

Decided on 2 29s. My mom said 'Absolutely not' to the loaches.

Would peppered or dainty cories work?

Edit: There was a ghost post XD didn't mean to ask that twice.

 

My mom said 'Absolutely not' to the loaches.

Out of curiosity....why? Was it based on a photo of them? or just their name? Does she know anything about them?

 

My mom said no go for loaches, so would peppered or dainty cories work?

Decided on 2 29s. My mom said 'Absolutely not' to the loaches.

Would peppered or dainty cories work?

Some people don't like kuhlI loaches because they look like worms/small snakes. Most corydoras will work fine, and peppered and dainty cories would both work well since neither are very brightly colored. Peppered cories will probably be able to stand up to the bettas better (I'm assuming this is for the betta sorority) but you could do more of the dainty cories and neither are likely to be targeted anyway. So I'd say it's up to your personal preference.

 

Out of curiosity....why? Was it based on a photo of them? or just their name? Does she know anything about them?

She hates snakes (why?!)

Fredward Thank you! Even though I like the dainties better, I'll do peppered because they are easier to find.